Thank you.
Good afternoon. My name is Ani Mardian. I'm here on behalf of the Armenian Church of Canada. I'm here with the director of the government relations office, Deacon Arslanian. Together we bring you greetings from Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisian.
Thank you for the invitation to appear today and for the opportunity to present this very crucial issue for your consideration.
We are here before you to ask the Government of Canada, through the House of Commons Standing Subcommittee on International Human Rights, to join the international condemnation of the recent violence that is endangering the historically Armenian community of Kassab.
We seek immediate action to aid the Armenian population and also safeguard it and the other vulnerable minority ethnic communities.
It is vital that an expression of condemnation and a call for action against the unprovoked attacks by Canada, as a defender of minority and human rights, be heard amid the wider international response. There is an urgent need to reach out to safeguard the lives and future of the population, who are now in desperate need for protection and aid.
The town of Kassab, whose inhabitants by a high majority are of Armenian origin, have been compelled to save their lives by fleeing to the city of Latakia, where they have found refuge and are now huddled in a small church and a few schoolhouse rooms.
They not only require protection against terrorist groups but also are in dire need of supplies to sustain them during a vulnerable period, as they have been forced to evacuate their homes leaving behind their clothes, their supplies, and all their worldly goods.
Fearing a far worse fate from the hardline rebel groups who play a prominent role in the Syrian uprising, the minorities had gathered behind the government of President Assad for protection. They have not participated in the fighting but remain neutral and now consequently are not in a position to defend themselves.
From the pre-war Armenian population in the major cities in Syria, only a small fraction remain in their homes. The majority, those whose situations allow them to be able to leave, have moved to other countries or at least to what they believe to be a safer area of Kassab and Latakia within Syria.
Kassab, in northern Syria near the border of Turkey, was settled by the Armenians from the 14th and 15th centuries and to this day has been home to some 2,000 Armenians. The town of Kassab is a postcard-pretty coastal village on the Mediterranean. But more importantly, this region has stood as a symbol of Armenian history and has nurtured the Armenian identity for centuries.
According to the reports of the Associated Press, the Syrian rebels who attacked Kassab are from an array of rebel groups, including the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front based in Turkey. The militant groups have been reported to have attacked Kassab under the cover of Turkish artillery strikes. The attacks are now engulfing the area and targeting the residents because of their religion and ethnicity.
On March 21, the armed rebels attacked the heavily populated region by crossing the Syrian border from Turkey into Syria. Under threat of slaughter, the entire population was forced to flee. Regrettably, not all were able to escape, and some have since brutally lost their lives.
The long history of Armenians in this region, populations growing from ancient Armenian principalities, is fraught with persecution and loss. Notwithstanding their history, the Armenian people's persistent nature and their adaptable character had allowed those who remained to rebuild a flourishing life in this ancient homeland. Sadly, we are now witnessing the third expulsion of Armenians from this region.
The President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, said Kassab was attacked by Turkish militants in 1909, and in 1915 the Armenian population was deported by the Ottomans, resulting in their deaths as they marched into the deserts of Syria. The current forced flight has deep meaning for all Armenians. The mass exodus from Kassab is reminiscent of the early days of the Armenian genocide under the cover of World War I.
Mr. Albrecht, Canadian Armenians thank you for bringing the issue of deliberate targeting of religious and ethnic groups to light by raising your concerns about the plight of the Armenian community in Kassab, on March 25 in the Parliament of Canada.
Mr. David Anderson, parliament secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, responded to your question on behalf of our government.
Mr. Anderson acknowledged that the violations against the citizens based on their religion and ethnicity are a violation of their basic human rights. As Armenians who are now dispersed throughout the world and who today constitute a large international diaspora resulting from the gravest violations against those human rights, we appeal to you with heightened urgency to help our community in Syria.
Please provide hope through direct aid and security so that they will not again be the forgotten group in a time of crisis. As we all can attest from history, the wrongs of the past are difficult to undo. The time to act is now and we can best make a difference now.
The Christian Armenian community is once again being uprooted from their homes and possibly their homeland as a result of recent accelerated and targeted extremist attacks. We strongly urge you to appeal on our behalf to the Canadian government to take all necessary means to help the Armenian community of Kassab without delay. It is our fervent hope that the exigent situation of the atrocities and the immediate local grim circumstances will grant a positive response.
On behalf of the government relations office of the diocese and its faithful across Canada we ask Canada to do specific work on two fronts: diplomacy and humanitarian assistance to Syria. From the generous pledge of the $353 million of humanitarian assistance to Syria, we urge you to allocate some of the funds directly to the immediate needs of the Armenian families. We call upon you to work closely with your ally in the region—in this case Canada's NATO ally the Republic of Turkey—to seal the borders into Kassab region and prevent the al-Qaeda inspired extremist incursions on Kassab.
The Armenian Church Diocese of Canada is ready and will cooperate in all ways as needed to facilitate a viable and transparent mechanism to send any help that is made available for this cause.
In closing I'd like to read a quote from Albert Schweitzer, the German theologian and philosopher. He said, “Humanitarianism consists in never sacrificing a human being to a purpose.”
Canada is a champion of human rights and freedoms and must stand up to its values to work to stop the ongoing bloodshed. Please provide the aid to secure the return of the Armenian community of Kassab to their rightful homes with dignity and with honour.
Thank you.
